Item Details

The HistoryMakers Video Oral History With the Honorable Alexis Herman

Stearns, Scott; HistoryMakers (Video Oral History Collection)

Format

Video; Computer Resource; Online Video; Online

Summary

Cabinet appointee Alexis M. Herman was born in Mobile, Alabama on July 16, 1947. After attending Xavier University, Herman became a social worker in 1969. In 1977, she was appointed by President Jimmy Carter as director of the Women's Bureau of the Department of Labor where she worked to increase the roles of women and minorities in white-collar jobs. In 1981, she established her own consulting firm, A.M. Herman Associates. Herman then became Vice Chair of the 1992 Democratic National Convention. Following President Bill Clinton's victory, she was appointed to direct the White House Public Liaison Office. Then, in 1996, Herman was appointed secretary of labor becoming the first African American to hold that position as well as the fifth woman. She chaired the Toyota Advisory Board on Diversity and served on a number of other corporate boards. She was active in the National Urban League and the Ron Brown Foundation.

a|
Cabinet appointee Alexis M. Herman was born in Mobile, Alabama on July 16, 1947. After attending Xavier University, Herman became a social worker in 1969. In 1977, she was appointed by President Jimmy Carter as director of the Women's Bureau of the Department of Labor where she worked to increase the roles of women and minorities in white-collar jobs. In 1981, she established her own consulting firm, A.M. Herman Associates. Herman then became Vice Chair of the 1992 Democratic National Convention. Following President Bill Clinton's victory, she was appointed to direct the White House Public Liaison Office. Then, in 1996, Herman was appointed secretary of labor becoming the first African American to hold that position as well as the fifth woman. She chaired the Toyota Advisory Board on Diversity and served on a number of other corporate boards. She was active in the National Urban League and the Ron Brown Foundation.